Do We Really Understand What the Gross Enrollment Ratio Measures?

Authors

  • Rebecca Schendel Boston College Center for International Higher Education
  • Benjamin Alcott Institute of Education, University College London

Keywords:

massification, gross enrollment ratio (GER), Global Higher Education Trends, measurement

Abstract

The gross enrollment ratio (GER) is often misunderstood as a valid measure of undergraduate enrollment. In fact, the measurement of GER includes students well beyond typical undergraduate age; encompasses enrollment in associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees and lacks consistency in whether international students are counted in their home or host country. This raises important concerns about the policy implications of GER measures and questions about how to develop more conceptually meaningful indicators in future.

Author Biographies

Rebecca Schendel, Boston College Center for International Higher Education

Rebecca Schendel is managing director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, United States. E-mail: schendel@bc.edu.

Benjamin Alcott, Institute of Education, University College London

Benjamin Alcott is associate professor at the Institute of Education, University College London, United Kingdom. E-mail: b.alcott@ucl.ac.uk.

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Published

2024-11-17

How to Cite

Schendel, R., & Alcott, B. (2024). Do We Really Understand What the Gross Enrollment Ratio Measures?. International Higher Education, (120). Retrieved from https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/ihe/article/view/18431

Issue

No. 120 (2024): Fall Issue

Section

Articles

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